Read: Luke 1
A person said to me the other day, “the devil is in the details.” It is a common way of sharing feelings of uncertainty and disorder in the world around us. Being a big picture guy, I often struggle with details. If you are like me you simply want to move forward and not hassle with the fine print. I get bogged down, feeling like I am just hacking my way through the rain-forest of life. Fine motor skills were never given high marks on my report card.
The other side of the same coin reflects those who not only enjoy, but encourage interaction with the details of life. These folks are wonderfully made to work within a project, moving with the moments of a season. They reflect the fullness of God in the handiwork of God’s glory. As much as I struggle with the details, these persons soar in the same environment and it is beautiful to watch.
God is surely in the midst of the details, not the devil. For I find that when I am willing to let go of my fear and need to control the details of the environment around me, I experience God. Over and over my experience of Christmas has been one of God’s in-breaking through or even over the top of the mountain of details to offer peace, grace, and hope.
I pray this is also your experience of Christmas. Not so much one of a baby in a manger, but of a risen Christ who calms the wind and waves. Not so much of a present colorfully wrapped under a green tree, but of a sense of belonging and hopeful anticipation for God’s reign on earth to reclaim all that is born of the darkness. After all, God is in all the details.
Here are my sermon points for next Sunday based on writing by B.W. Johnson, 1891:
"In the angel's message we have, (1) An assurance, Fear not. (2) A promise, Thou shalt bring forth a son. (3) A command, Thou shalt call his name Jesus. (4) A prophecy, He shall be great, the Son of the Highest, sit on David's throne, reign forever."
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Sermon Title: “God is in the Details”
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Thursday, December 04, 2008
The Light Has Passed
The light has passsed
into the night of tomorrow
into the fragrance of flowers
into the day of dreams
without a smile or good word
for the light has a mission
to return another day.
The light has passed
I gave my time away
even in the darkness now
I never will forget
for my eyes betray my steps.
The light has passed
with the first snowfall
The light has passed
on a cold November evening
to return at winter's ending.
-D.A. Weesner
into the night of tomorrow
into the fragrance of flowers
into the day of dreams
without a smile or good word
for the light has a mission
to return another day.
The light has passed
I gave my time away
even in the darkness now
I never will forget
for my eyes betray my steps.
The light has passed
with the first snowfall
The light has passed
on a cold November evening
to return at winter's ending.
-D.A. Weesner
Oddly Betrayed
Isn’t this what the people wanted
all hope and truth and revelation?
Yet the longer the gift becomes given
the receptions grows less than warm.
Seems the arrival of something new and unexpected,
something long hoped for,
more than we have prayed, longed,
wanted for our children or neighbors
has led to disillusionment, unsettled lives,
and a feeling of broken trusts.
Is it always like this?
It is always like this!
The gift, more than our wildest,
presents us with more issues, reveals our humanness.
We stumble under the weight,
it is too much for us,
we are not worthy,
we are not ready
we are just not.
Strange the response …
We feel oddly betrayed
the Giver feels oddly betrayed
the Gift is oddly betrayed.
- D.A. Weesner
all hope and truth and revelation?
Yet the longer the gift becomes given
the receptions grows less than warm.
Seems the arrival of something new and unexpected,
something long hoped for,
more than we have prayed, longed,
wanted for our children or neighbors
has led to disillusionment, unsettled lives,
and a feeling of broken trusts.
Is it always like this?
It is always like this!
The gift, more than our wildest,
presents us with more issues, reveals our humanness.
We stumble under the weight,
it is too much for us,
we are not worthy,
we are not ready
we are just not.
Strange the response …
We feel oddly betrayed
the Giver feels oddly betrayed
the Gift is oddly betrayed.
- D.A. Weesner
Sermon Notes for Sunday December 14, 2008
Read: 1 Thessalonians
Rejoice always is the word from Paul to the early church. What is happening does not matter. If your life is wonderful or difficult, rejoice. Rejoicing comes along with sharing. I can not recall experiencing a time of sharing without some rejoicing along side. Advent should be the easiest time to rejoice as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ.
There are however two places of rub as I see it. The first is that we are not called to be happy Christians, rather ones who rejoice. There is a difference here and it is not particularly subtle. As you have been around me you have probably heard my rant about Christmas smiles and happiness that is so false it could be scrapped off like frosting on a cake. Happy all the time, is not in the Bible. However, a deep foundational joy is in the Bible. I want that unmovable rejoicing which comes from the knowledge that my savior lives. I have joy because I know that God’s amazing grace offers a perfection into my life. I am happy because my mother-in-law makes amazing pecan pie. See the difference?
The second rub is like the first in that our lives are not always pleasant. As pastor Bill Tenny-Brittian says, "Jesus was not born in Bethlehem to make the darkness more manageable." Jesus comes into our lives to make a change, not just to help us cope. Most of what we see of Christmas preparations around us are about helping people get along easier with the world as it is. However that is just not the case for Christmas. Jesus comes into the world and the world will no longer be the same again. Everything changes. This message is just as counter-culture today as it was 2000 years ago. It is also just as true and life-giving.
Now based on that kind of savior and the passage at hand for direction, how is your Christmas season rejoicing going?
Rejoice always is the word from Paul to the early church. What is happening does not matter. If your life is wonderful or difficult, rejoice. Rejoicing comes along with sharing. I can not recall experiencing a time of sharing without some rejoicing along side. Advent should be the easiest time to rejoice as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ.
There are however two places of rub as I see it. The first is that we are not called to be happy Christians, rather ones who rejoice. There is a difference here and it is not particularly subtle. As you have been around me you have probably heard my rant about Christmas smiles and happiness that is so false it could be scrapped off like frosting on a cake. Happy all the time, is not in the Bible. However, a deep foundational joy is in the Bible. I want that unmovable rejoicing which comes from the knowledge that my savior lives. I have joy because I know that God’s amazing grace offers a perfection into my life. I am happy because my mother-in-law makes amazing pecan pie. See the difference?
The second rub is like the first in that our lives are not always pleasant. As pastor Bill Tenny-Brittian says, "Jesus was not born in Bethlehem to make the darkness more manageable." Jesus comes into our lives to make a change, not just to help us cope. Most of what we see of Christmas preparations around us are about helping people get along easier with the world as it is. However that is just not the case for Christmas. Jesus comes into the world and the world will no longer be the same again. Everything changes. This message is just as counter-culture today as it was 2000 years ago. It is also just as true and life-giving.
Now based on that kind of savior and the passage at hand for direction, how is your Christmas season rejoicing going?
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